It took longer than some expected, but the Detroit Lions will finally have Brian Branch back on the field. His return couldn't have come at a better time, as the Lions will host the Green Bay Packers out of the bye week.
Matt LaFleur's offense is firing on all cylinders right now, especially the passing game. Given how much the Lions have struggled in coverage, having their hard-hitting safety back in the fold is simply huge.
More than that, Branch's versatility will give the Lions a Swiss Army knife guy in the secondary. That's why Dan Campbell won't commit to having Chuck Clark or Keith Abney II by his side; it might be a matchup/situation-based thing.
The Lions will mix things up with Brian Branch
"Asked Campbell who he likes to complement Branch at the other safety spot," Lions writer Jeremy Reisman shared on X. "Said he likes the consistency from Clark, and they want to explore Abney's potential. Sounds like both will play. Campbell said Branch is so versatile that they don't need a pure free/box safety aside him."
While Abney is usually an outside cornerback, the rookie has actually looked solid at safety. Branch is known as a high-volume strong safety, but with Kerby Joseph, his usual partner in crime, still sidelined, defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard might have to get creative.
Who knows? Maybe the Lions will even deploy Branch at nickel at some point, with Clark and Abney also on the field in certain sets. With the way Jordan Love, Matthew Golden, and Christian Watson are playing, they'll definitely have to do something.
The Lions reached the bye week with a disappointing 3-2 record. Their first two losses came down to the wire, but they made a big statement against the lesser Arizona Cardinals in their last game before the break.
However, now that they'll have to step up in class, all eyes will be back on the defense after a dreadful first month of the regular season. Sheppard might be in the clear for now, but another disappointing performance could put plenty of heat back on him.
When healthy, the Lions have probably the best, most dynamic safety duo in the game. Unfortunately, there's still no word on when (or even if) Joseph will return from his freak knee injury this season, so they'll have to improvise.
Christian Izien looked terrible in coverage in the first four games of the season, but Clark and Abney have looked the part. Help is on the way, and the Lions are doing the right thing by keeping an open mind about how to deploy the three.
Cade Mays is also about to make his season debut. This team is finally getting healthy, and it'll be interesting to see what they have after a rollercoaster first five weeks of the regular season.
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